


Bloodlands

by Katiebees



Category: Mad Max Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Origin Story, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-07
Updated: 2015-07-06
Packaged: 2018-04-08 02:05:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4286556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katiebees/pseuds/Katiebees
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I was born into a world filled with sand and blood. Life was tough and cruel in The Wasteland. Born free, I was turned a slave, hope torn from my grasp. But when I heard of The Green Place, I knew I had to help Furiosa and The Wives get there. The plan was perfect, but as usual, my life spun out of control, taking me to places I never expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

I was born to a world of sand and blood.

A world where survival took everything you had, everything you owned...everything you loved.

I’d grown up on stories of how the world used to be different. Legends of how billions of people lived on these lands. People who never went hungry, never thirsty. Green vegetation and roaming animals covered most of what is now the wastelands surface.

Times were different then.

Maybe things had been happier. Maybe they weren’t. But at least they had stability, order, a system that gave them rights and protection. None of that existed anymore.

There’s no stability - no safety - in the world today.

People are desperate. Resources like shelter, food, fuel, water, they are the new gold of today’s world. More valuable than anything else out there, often worth more than life. It isn’t uncommon for people to bait and kill unsuspecting travellers, taking everything that they owned, leaving them for dead, leaving them with nothing.

Some of these looters formed gangs; wandering the Wasteland in search for their next prey. Some grew so powerful, they had other’s sent out to do the looting for them. Other’s banded together for safety, using the mediocre resources they could scrounge up to survive. These clans were often small, defenceless, easily preyed upon by more violent gangs.

Bandits and Looters weren’t the only danger out here in the Wasteland. If they didn’t get you, then you were quite likely going to die from sickness and disease. The Wasteland was irradiated, a remnant of old wars, the surface emitting enough radiation that most people died from exposure, many before they reached the age of twenty. Many of the weaker clans were entirely made up of the sick.

My brother and I were born into one of these clans. Mother said that there used to be more of us, that she’d been part of a thriving clan, but they were all gone now, having fizzled out of existence long before I knew them, before I could remember them. Gone where, we didn’t know. Mother never spoke of it.

My mother gave birth to us on the edge of the world. We were twins, an anomaly. To her surprise, we were healthy, an unusual feat in today's world, where more babies were stillborn and deformed, than not. Least of all twins. Mother was proud, amazed that she’d managed to bring two new, healthy lives into this barren world. Maybe we were her hope. Maybe it gave her courage, the strength to keep moving. She always called us her Miracles, born into a harsh world, we would be strong, healthy enough to survive.

Mother never doubted it for a second.

Sand and heat were a constant in our life. Mother took care of us on her own, keeping well away from other nearby clans. She didn’t trust others, had every reason not to. They would have no hesitation if they could take our food, our water. After all, we would do the same. Most were like us, only trying to survive. And resources were few, not everyone could eat.

However, I think what Mother feared the most was losing us, that someone out there would try to take Brother and I, and trade us for product, or sell us as slaves. Children, especially healthy ones, were a valuable commodity, worth a lot in the slave markets for many different reasons, none of them pleasant. Slaves were common in the world where only the powerful made the rules.

But I knew my mother would never allow that to happen. She would protect us. She always did.

From the very start it had always been the three of us. We’d always been together. 

I don’t remember my father at all, he’d never been part of our life, at least not as far as I could remember. Mother never mentioned him. He was just another mystery, erased by the shifting sands.

As my brother and I grew old enough to know how to take care of ourselves, Mother started venturing out further than before. Searching, scavenging for anything that would help us survive. Most of the time she came back empty handed, a sad and weary look in her eye as she returned. But when her eyes landed on us some of the tension would melt away. Eye’s lighting up, she would smile, caress our long brown hair, and tell us she was happy to see us, and that she would have better luck tomorrow.

Other times she would return, shoulders weighed down with bags that were not her own, and a different, darker look in her eye. We were always curious about where she got it from, snooping through the bags with glee, helping Mother organize everything into piles so she could take stock of what we had. Brother was always interested in her adventure outside of the cave. Questioning, prodding and poking, until Mother finally gave in, regaling us with tales of the quests she went on in search for food, battling the pirate scoundrels, stealing from the giants, using her wits to outsmart wealthy old men, convincing them to give her their food and water. We were enraptured by her stories, often helping her act out the scenes of her quest. I realized later in life, that she never told us how she really got the bags. Instead, distracting us with tales and celebration. We’d fill our bellies and laugh. We were happy. 

Survival was harsh, you did whatever you had to to stay alive.

When I was four or five, Mother got sick. She’d always had a persistent cough, but it was getting worse. Much worse. The wet, hacking convulsions were beginning to tear through her, leaving her weak and in pain. I think for awhile she did her best to hide them from us. But soon she had trouble catching her breath, each inhale held a rasping tenor. At the time, I didn’t realize how much pain she must have been in, she’d fooled us, covering every wince with a smile.

But she kept moving, kept scavenging. Everything was the same. So I didn’t worry about it too much.

Another year went by before things changed.

As the cough persisted, Mother had been getting weaker and weaker, her breathing often laboured as she strained to keep us alive. We helped out where we could, but there was nothing we could do to help her. We were young then. We were useless.

One day she woke up early, before the sun had risen, leaving us with instructions to pack the few bags we owned with food, water and clothes. Anything that we could carry. Brother and I had been uncertain, worried, but we had followed her command, packing everything we thought held value. I made sure I packed away Mother’s prized books. She’d been teaching us to read, a skill no longer important in the world, but mother said, “I will have children who can read and speak properly. So I will teach you, like my mother taught me.” And so we learned.

She returned late that day, much later than she normally would. When she returned, Mother broke down and cried. She had barely made it through the entrance of our cave, when she had crumbled, falling to her hands and knees, her shoulders shaking with heavy sobs. Alarmed, Brother and I had rushed forward, trying to provide her with any comfort we could. But all she did was pull us close and cry. I’d didn’t understand why her clothing was ripped, or why her arms were littered with purple bruises.

She never told us what was wrong. I was afraid of asking.

We always slept together at night, but this one felt different from the rest. Mother held us closely, like she normally did, Brother and I under each of her arms, but her grip was almost too tight. I think we all had trouble sleeping that night.

The silence of the morning was shattered by the rumbling of a vehicle outside the cave. Alarm had flared through me and Brother and I leapt to our feet, wide eyed and disoriented. Before we could ask questions, Mother shushed us, told us to stay out of sight, and walked out of the cave.

I don’t remember how long we’d waited, huddled down, shoulder to shoulder in the corner, but it had seemed like forever at the time. Eventually mother returned, expression stony, shoulders tense, a man following cautiously at her heels.

I remember the feeling of fear that shot through me at the sight. Brother sat tensed beside me.

Mother had always taught us to stay away from others. People were bad. People were dangerous. They would use us, take what we had, and either sell us or leave us for dead. And here was a large man, standing at the entrance of our home.

We’d never had a stranger in our home before.

He was large, larger than any other person I’d seen before. He towered over my brother and I, and we both flinched away from him when his icy blue eyes landed on us. Those eyes, I remember them still.

“This’s them?” His voice was raspy, as if he’d spent too long breathing the dry desert air.

Mother nodded tersely, as she stood to the side. Watching.

After a moment, the man nodded. “How far ya need to go?”

“The Citadel.” Was Mother's biting reply. The Citadel? What was that? I’d never heard of it before.

There was a pause of contemplation as the man gazed at the three of us before shrugging. “A’ight, I’ll do it. But we need ta leave soon, if we’ going to make it there.”

“We’re ready whenever you are,” she replied, reaching down and picking up the bags we’d packed yesterday. The man stared at her in reply.

“Mama?” came Brother’s quiet voice, as he gazed up at her with worry, hand reaching out to grab her own. “Where we going?”

“Hush, Nux.” She shushed him, giving him a tense but gentle smile, cold eyes never leaving the man in front of them. When the man nodded and turned, exiting the cave, Mama marginally relaxed, before coughs overtook her and she bent over clutching her chest, keeping her sleeve over her mouth. 

Worry flowed through me. What was happening? What’s the Citadel? Why were we going there? Who was that man?

I was scared. I didn’t want to leave the safety of our home.

When the coughs subsided, Mother turned and crouched down before us with a small smile. But something was wrong.

She looked sad.

“Ah, my darlings. Look at you,” she whispered to us softly, running her hands through our hair, the familiar gesture comforting, easing some of the tension in my mind. “You guys grow up so fast. And still so healthy.” And we were. Mother always worried that we would someday come down with illness that would take us away. But it never did. “I’ll tell you a little secret, we are going to go on an adventure.”

Nux’s eye lit up at the thought. “An adventure? Like in your stories - will there be pirates?” He whispered back, eyes wide with excitement. 

Mother gave a small laugh at his excitement, smiling down at him, “Well, I don’t know about pirates, but it will still be an adventure.”

I was more cautious than my brother. “Mama, where are we going? Are we leaving?”

Mother nodded slowly. “We are, darling. We are going to travel across the plains. Find a better place for you live. You’ll love it there, I know you will. There will be other children there. Like you. You’ll make lots of friends.”

Fear overtook me, tears welled up. “Mama, I don’t want to leave. I like it here, in the cave. We can stay here.”

“Oh sweets, come here.” Mother pulled me gently into a hug. “I know it’s scary. It’s a big world out there. But you know that as long as you have your brother by your side, you’ll be fine. The two of you can get through anything, I know it.”

When the engine outside the cave roared to life Mother was quick to straighten up. “Grab those bags. Quick. It’s time for us to leave.” We did as we were told.

Walking out towards the entrance to the cave that had always been our home, I reached out for my brother, my twin, my other half, linking our hands together. He was quick to grab my hand in return. I could feel his worry as we left the only place we knew as home, and stepped out into the blinding light together.

I squinted, raising an arm to block the light trying to give my eyes some time to adjust. It wasn’t that we had never left the cave before. No, Nux and I had been out here plenty of times, running, playing, searching for insects to snack on. This time was different. I had the feeling we would never see our cave again.

As my vision cleared, I caught sight of the machine that was rumbling not too far from the entrance, and I let my jaw drop in awe. I heard Nux gasp from next to me.  
It was a vehicle! 

“Whoa, Rye! Look! Look, it’s a vehicle.” Came Nux’s excited squeal from next to me, and he gripped my hand, pulling me along behind him passed Mother and towards the large machine.

As I stumbled over a rock, I pulled back. “Nux, slow down. You’re going to make me fall.” I muttered, staring up at it in trepidation.

This was definitely the closest to a vehicle we’d ever been. The only other time we’d seen them was when they were racing across the flats in front of our cave, and Mother would quickly usher us inside and out of sight. Although Nux and I always managed to sneak back out to watch them fly across the desert sand, billowing clouds flaring up behind them. We used to play and dream about us being the drivers, outrunning the Raiders, the best driver team in the world.

And now we would sit in one for real.

I didn’t know if I was more nervous or excited.

I couldn’t tell what colour the machine in front was meant to be. The colour was hidden behind nearly an inch of sand that caked the outside. It was much taller than us, almost twice our height. The side we were facing had two window and as we watched, the one at the front of the car rolled down, the same man from before grinning down at us. I realized that two of his front teeth were missing.

“Ready ta go?” He asked us.

“Yes, we are.” Mother’s crisp voice came from behind us before either of us could reply. “Hurry into the back you two.” She opened the bag door, revealing a dirty seat, the surface looking like it had recently been cleared of much debris. Nux was the first to leap through the door, gazing around the inside excitedly. “Nux, sit down.” Mother said firmly, passing him some bags before helping me get in. She shut the door firmly before getting into the front passenger seat beside the man.

The inside was fairly comfortable. The old leather chairs were well worn and ripped in some places. The space in front of me, where I assume my feet were supposed to go, was full of bottle of water, most of which were empty. When my eyes caught sight of the shotgun peeking out from beside the man's chair, a felt a weary sliver go through me. Who was this man? How did Mother know him? Why was he taking us to the Citadel?

I didn’t have much time to think about it before the car lurched forward with a roar of the engine. And soon we were racing across the sand flats, away from the only home we’d ever known.

Turning in my seat, I peered out the dirty back window, back towards home, resting my chin on my arms, feeling Nux sit up and do the same.

“Do you think we’ll ever go back?” I asked Nux softly.

He shrugged beside me, turning to look at me, blue eyes mirroring my own. “Who cares? Rye, we’re going on an adventure! We’re no longer going ta be in no stinkin’ old cave.” he said after an air of finality, before turning around, pulling me down with him, so that we sat side by side.

Leaning my head down on his shoulder, my sight blurred as the tears came.

I knew in my heart that this would be the last time we ever saw our cave.

~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~

A harsh bump had me lurching up from where I’d fallen asleep leaning on Nux. Glancing over at my brother, I noticed he was still fast asleep, head lolling with the motion of the car.

Rubbing some of the sleep out of my eyes, I looked around, peering through the dirty glass, trying to figure out how long we’d been moving for. But as far as I could see, lay an endless sea of sand, the dunes rising and falling as we sped past.

Leaning over the bags, I sat up to peer between the front seats, and was slightly startled to see a mountain in the distance ahead of us.

Mother looked back at me with a tired smile, eyes red and I wondered for a moment if she’d been crying. Raising a delicate hand, she pointed at the mountain ahead of us. “You see that?” I nodded. “That’s the Citadel. It’s going to be your new home.” 

I frowned. “It is?”

Mother nodded. I still didn’t understand.

“But Mama, why did we leave? We have a home!” I whined.

Mother gave me a sad look, reaching back and running the back of her hand down my cheek, brushing my hair away from my face. “It will be a good place for you and your brother. It will give you a chance to survive. You are worth so much more than a hole in the rocks.” I was alarmed when her voice trembled, tears filling her eyes.

Something was wrong, wrong. So wrong.

“Mama,” I said hesitantly. “You’re coming with us, right - to our new home? You’re coming with us?”

She hesitated for a second too long. “Of course, darling,” she replied with a reassuring smile. 

“Promise?” I wanted to know, I needed to know.

“I promise.”

But I didn’t feel reassured at all. She’d hesitated. Leaning back towards the seat behind me, I curled up into a ball beside my brother, wishing with all my might that I would fall asleep and wake up back to our cave.

~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~

The Citadel was the largest placed we’d ever seen. It looked like three stone columns had erupted from the Earth, the rock reaching incredible heights, reaching for the sky.

I could only stare in awe at the monstrous hold, Nux grasping my hand as he did the same.

What were we doing here?

Our driver slowly weaved his way through the crowd, The Wretched mother called them, the people who lived at the base. They watched us go by, nothing but skin and bones, sunken dead eyes staring at us as we passed. I’d never seen so many people before. Their hungry gazes made my skin crawl. Sinking back into my seat, I tried to hide behind the door. I was afraid of them.

Too soon, we had stopped in the shade of the monumental fortress. All of us sat quietly, Mother and the Driver tense, waiting for something that we did not know; Nux and I in the back, dreading the unknown.

Driver was the one to break the silence, turning his head towards my mother. “You will only have a small window to move.”

“I know,” Mother replied softly.

“If you don’t make it, there is nothing I can do to help you.” He looked sad, seeming reluctant about whatever Mother was doing. 

“I know,” Mother repeated, her tone sharp, more forceful than before. They were quiet for a second, before Mother sighed, her shoulders dropping. “Will you wait?” She asked him softly, sadly.

“Of course.” He patted Mother’s shoulder gently, looking at her with sympathetic eyes.

Mother took a deep breath, straightening her shoulders, she turned back to us, meeting our wide, scared eyes. At the sight of us, her lips trembled for a second and I wondered if I was going to see my mother cry for a second time in two days. But she didn’t

“Mama, what’s happen-” Nux asked the question I couldn’t bring myself to voice, but Mother raised a hand, cutting him off.

“Don’t ask questions.” She commanded softly, meeting each of our gazes steadily. “When we get out of the car, I need you both to hold onto my hands tightly. We are going to walk through the crowd. Now, I don’t want to hear any questions. You are going to do whatever I tell you to do, when I tell you to do it. Are we clear?”

Nux and I exchanged fearful looks. I knew my brother was just as worried as I was, about whatever was to come.

“I said, are we clear?” Mother repeated sternly.

“Yes, Mama.” We chirped back.

“Good.” Mother turned and got out of the car, hurrying back and opening the side door next to me. I moved slowly as she motioned for me to get out. She shook her head, when I reached for the bags. “You won’t need those.” I was too afraid to ask what she meant, instead reaching down with a foot, to step out onto the dry, cracked ground, taking her hand. Nux was quick to follow, mirroring my movements on her other side. Her grip was tight around my hand, almost painful

We were quickly tugged away from the car and into the dead crowd. I didn’t know where to look, eyes jumping from one withered face to another. My legs trembling beneath me as I struggled to keep up with Mother’s determined stride. Nux was staring wide-eyed around them, looking on the verge of tears on Mother’s other side. I want to follow suite, but my eyes were dry. The tears wouldn’t come.

We weaved through the crowd, heading towards the far side of the canyon and as I looked up all I could see were lifts and pulleys, people swinging between platforms. One of the large platforms was slowly making its descent towards the ground and I could see where the crowd was packed beneath it, arms raised, screaming at the sky. Begging, pleading. For what, I didn’t know. But Mother was dragging us their way.

If they didn’t move, they would be crushed. I didn’t want to get crushed.

Reaching the edge of the platform, where the lift had nearly finally made its descent, Mother stopped, turning and crouching down in front of us.

She was crying, tears streaming down her face. “Now we don’t have much time. “Her lip trembled, “When that lift comes down, I want you to get on. Hold hands.” She pushed Nux and my hands together, linking our fingers. “There you go. Now hold on tightly to each other. And don’t let go….never let go.” Staring at us, she let out a shaky breath, before jerking us forward and pulling us into a hug, squeezing us as if her life depended on it. I returned the hug with as much strength as I could, blinking dried eyes.

I didn’t - couldn’t - understand what was going on.

When a booming clank came from the lift, I knew that it had hit the ground. Mother moaned, as if the sound itself caused her pain, and she trembled. 

She pulled away from us and ran her hands through our hair, the familiar soothing motion feeling like a final goodbye. “Come, come. You have to get on.” With that she yanked us forwards, shoving us through the crowd. Nux’s hand tight in my own.

The platform was surrounded by withered people, many clutching children of their own, just like my mother. They were pushing and shoving their children onto the platform, where three large men in masks stood, keeping the adults off the lift.

“Go on, up you go,” Mother said was a trembling smile, lifting us up one at a time. When I shook my head, I stared back at her in terror, feeling numb. “Riley. Everything will be fine,” she said soothingly. “Take care of your brother, take care of each other.” This couldn’t be happening. She wouldn’t send us away. We were always supposed to be together. Always!

She gazed between us, hands caressing her faces. “Remember that I always love you. No matter where we are, where you end up, I’ll always love you.”

The lift lurched beneath us, and Nux, I and many other children tumbling onto the hard surface.

Then we were moving. Up and away. Away from Mother. 

No, no, no, no. no!

I scrambled for the edge, peering over the edge, looking down at my mother. She had to come with us! She couldn’t stay by herself.

“Mama! Mama, please! Don’t leave us! Please!” I screamed down at her, on my hands and knees at the edge of the platform. We slowly moved further and further away from her. Nux stared down at her blankly, tears running down his face.

“You promised!” I screamed down at her, and tears ran down my face. “You promised!” I knew she heard my words, when her face crumbled, and she covered her face with her hands, shoulders wracking with sobs. 

Soon I couldn’t see her, her face having disappeared into the masses below. I searched, and searched, knowing that she was there somewhere.

But she was gone.

That was the last time we ever saw our mother.


	2. Chapter Two

I felt numb.

Sitting on the rough surface of the lift, my fingers dug painfully into the material under my hands as I stared blankly down into the crowd below.

How could she do this to us? How could she bring us here and leave us? She’d promised she would always be here.

Now she was nothing but a distant face in the masses below. Was she still there? Crying, and watching us leave? Or had she already walked away, having forgotten us the same way she’d left us.

How could she leave us here?

A sniffle came from next to me, and I turned to find Nux kneeling by my side, staring down at the crowd below us, tears leaving clean trails down along his cheeks. Behind us I could hear the sound of other children sniffling and crying.

Had their mothers abandoned them as well?

“Alright, you lot! Stand up!” Came harsh voice from behind us, and I jumped, swiveling around to face the source of the voice. It was one of the lift operators, face covered in a black mask, his skin pale white, like he’d never seen the sun before. I could see other children staring up at him, eyes wide with shock. Why did he want us to stand up? When we all stared up at him blankly, he stomped his foot on the ground repeatedly, reminding me of a child throwing a tantrum. “Up! Up! Up! Get your lazy asses moving, before I throw the whole lot of you off the edge!”

Something in the tone of his voice made me think he wasn’t joking and I hurriedly pushed myself to my feet, reaching down, I tugged Nux up next to me. I could see other children glancing around at each other, and reluctantly following suit.

Reaching down I grabbed Nux’s hand, afraid of what these new men wanted. His hand tightened around my own, and for a moment I was relieved that I had my brother here with me. Mother had left us, but we weren’t alone. We had each other.

“Form a line, you runts!” barked the mask man as he paced the platform. We were all quick to follow his order.

As we lined up, I peered around, noting there were probably fifteen kids in total, including myself and Nux. I wasn’t sure how old the eldest was among us, not that it mattered. None of us compared in age or even size to that of the masked man. All of us were scared, you didn’t need to look around to feel the fear that seemed to permeate the air. Eyes darted around wildly as we searched each other and the crazy masked man. What was going on? 

We’d all lined up in a fairly straight line down along one side of the lift. Nux and I standing closely together at the far end.

A girl coughed. My shoulders tensed as I held my breath. Looking at our group, I realized that my brother and I were probably the healthiest of the whole group. Some were just skin and bones.

They reminded me of my mother.

Tears blurred my eyes as the thought unwillingly crossed my mind. I’d seen how my mother had struggled, steadily losing weight despite how much she ate. She was sick. I’d known that.

A little boy next to Nux swayed and I almost reached out for him when he moved a little too far, nearly falling. But he caught himself just in time.

“Alright, check ‘em over!” The masked man ordered, this time towards his companion, an equally pale man, this one with scars running all over his body and face. As the scarred man made his way towards us, I flinched away from him. His eyes were cold, dead.

When he reached the first trembling kid in line, he reached down plucking the young boy up from under his arms, lifting him up to eye level. The boy whimpered as the Scarred Man turned him this way and that, eyes examining him. Myself and all the other kids watched in trepidation. What was he searching for?

Whatever it was, he found it, dropping the boy back onto the platform where he landed with an ‘oomph’, appearing relieved his examination was over. 

This happened a few more time as the Scarred Man working down the line, examining each child from head to toe, the outcome always the same.

Until he reached the boy next to Nux, who’d swayed, nearly falling off the platform. I felt sorry for the boy, about to be handled so roughly, when he was clearly so weak, barely skin and bones. And although the rest of us weren’t much better off, his skin held a sickly pallor that indicated his poor health. I wondered if he was what Mother had called a half-life, those mostly affected by the radiation from The Wasteland. Everyone reacted differently to the radiation. Some lived full lives, never affected. Others, like the boy, were born sickly, already on their way out of this world.

Scarred Man lifted him up, glanced him over for no more than a couple of seconds, and sneered. The smile that crossed his face was predatory, his scars pulling his face in strange ways.

“This one’s ain’t no good.”

With that, he took a step forward, the boy still in his arms, and released his grip. Instead of crashing down onto the lift like all the other kids had before him, he disappeared over the side of the lift. The Scarred Man had dropped the sickly boy over the edge.

My breath froze in my lungs as I stared at the empty space where the boy had been only two seconds before. Horror washed through me, every hair on my body standing on end as his shrill scream of terror faded in the distance.

I couldn’t move. How could he- He’d just.... 

There was a horrified silence from the rest of the group. No one moved, no one reacted. Everyone stood in horrified silence.

Nux’s hand trembled in my own, leaning back towards me, away from the man who’d just so casually thrown the boy to his death. There were whimpers and cries from further up the line, from the children who realized that could have been them.

Nux was next in line.  
I felt something flare up wildly within me, panic rising in a wave. I couldn’t - wouldn’t - let him touch Nux. He wouldn’t end up like that other boy.

Scar seemed unfazed by what had just done, turning and picking up my brother before either of us could react.

No, no, no, no, please no. I couldn’t do anything, my body frozen in terror as Nux’s hand was torn from my own. My brother cried out in panic and terror, struggling with all his might, trying to get away from the hands that held him up. But his strength was nothing compared to that of Scar. No, the older man only seemed amused at his efforts to get away.

Clenching my fists at my side, all I could do was stare in horror. I couldn’t get my body to move.

“Feisty one, ain’t ya?” Scar grinned at my brother, holding him at arm's length. “Might make a good Warpup someday, eh? Though I wouldn’t want to struggle too much, or ya might, uh, slip.”

Brother froze, eyes wide, staring at the face of his tormentor, arms held out in front of him as if trying to ward of the threat with his mind. Fear of being thrown off the edge paralyzing him.

I wouldn’t let him hurt my brother! He was the only person I had left, and this man was not going to take him away from me. Anger and desperation flooded my veins, and it washed away the fear, giving me the courage to move.

With a snarl, I jumped up, latching onto Scar’s arm, my weight sending him stumbling away from the edge. Scar’s mouth momentarily dropped in shock, although he quickly recovered, bracing himself, my brother still in his arms.

“Get off, you stupid bitch!” He exclaimed, dropping my brother as he tried to shake me off. I held on a tightly as I could as he flailed his arm. Nux landed on his side, breath momentarily knocked out of him, coughing and gasping for air. He managed to pull himself to his hands and knees and scrambled away from us, staring up at us in horror.

Now free, Scar’s other hand shot out, yanking me up by the scruff of my shirt, my long hair half caught in his grip, and holding me at eye level.

I howled in pain, releasing my grasp on his arm, bringing my arms back to his hand, nails digging into the soft flesh of his hand, as I tried to ease the pain from my scalp. I could feel the strand of hair ripping from my head.

“Oh, you little viper. You’re going to regret that.” He spat, eyes set in a glare as he shook me. I whimpered, tears running from my eyes. He stepped forwards and I instantly knew that I was hanging over open air. Panic clawed up my throat, and I latched onto his hand with all the strength I could muster, the fear of falling to my death overwhelming my senses.

“Riley!!” Distantly, I could hear Nux call out, voice sounding close to hysterical.

“Oi, Rust!” Snapped the Masked Man as he walked up behind Scar. “Don’t waste them healthy ones! She’s gonna be a looker, that one. Be a good breeder for Immortan Joe in a coupla years.”

The Scarred Man - Rust - sneered, cold eyes still locked on my face. I wondered for a moment if he was going to drop me regardless of what the other said. He pulled me in close, so we were almost nose to nose and smirked. “Hear that, little Missy. You’re lucky you’re healthy. Otherwise it would be the long drop for you.” With that he turned and flung me back onto the platform, where I tumbled, my chin hitting the deck painfully as I rolled to a stop.

Gasping for breath, I lay there trembling like the desert sands. A shadow cast over me and I flinched away from it, before realizing that Nux was standing over me protectively, shoulders squared. With a whimper, I reached out, hand fisting into the rough material of his pants, seeking any comfort I could get from my brother. At my touched, he turned, crouching next to me and pulling me into his side. I hid my face in his shoulder, wishing desperately to wake up from this nightmare, to wake up safely in our cave.

I wanted to cry. So, so badly. 

But tears wouldn’t come.

“Alright, Bolt. These are clean. Let’s get’em up!” shouted Rust. In response, Bolt turn the crank he was standing next to, and with a lurch, the lift sped up in its ascent.

Too soon, we reached the top.

The lift groaned to a stop in a large echoing cavern, and I gazed around, startled by the amount of activity going on around us. The sides were lined with rows upon rows of war vehicles, each of them unique in size and colour. Around them, hairless boys and men walked around, skin painted a chalky white. Some of the younger ones turned to stare at us curiously as we arrived, the skin around their eyes painted in a deep charcoal black. 

I swallowed nervously, looking away when I caught their eyes. They reminded me of the skull mother had shown us a couple of years back. The eyes empty - soulless and dead.

“Come on, come on, get a move on. We don’t got all day.” Came a shout from Bolt as he started herding all the children off the lift and onto the sandy cavern floor. Nux was quick to pull me up, grabbing onto my sleeve tightly as we moved with the remaining children. Soon we were all huddled into a tight group at the edge of the lift.

I could feel the uncertainty of the group around me. Next to me stood a girl slightly younger than me, long blonde hair matted and dirty. As her shoulder brushed against mine, I could feel her trembling. The two boys in front of us, clearly unrelated, gripped each others hands for comfort.

Two shirtless, chalky white teenagers approached us, one with a black stripe over his eyes, and came to stand before us.

“This way,” the dark-eyed teenager said, pointing towards a hole in the far wall, before turning and heading towards it.

As the kids in front of me began shuffling forward, Nux and I followed suite, the second shirtless teenager falling into step behind us, keeping us huddled together.

I kept a tight grip on Nux’s arm as we were lead down a long dark hallway, taking several turns. Soon I was lost in the maze of hallways and turns that we had taken. I’d never seen a place so big, so complex. Although it was huge, the space inside the mountain felt small, the ceiling and wall feeling tight and constricting. All I’d ever known was our cave and the open sky.

Half way down the hallway we were walking down, the teenagers in front of us stopped before a entryway, and directed us inside.

The room was well lit with windows on the far side. I took a deep breath, relieved at the fresh air and the sight of the blue sky. 

The room was nearly empty save for a large woman standing in the middle, staring at us with harsh eyes. She was dressed in a simple grey cloth which wrapped around her shoulders, draping over her frame, the ends brushing the floor. The skin of her forehead and around her eyes was cover in intricate black markings, her long dark hair pulled back in twists and braids, the ends decorated in dark blue strips of cloth.

Behind her, two other women stood to each side, dressed in nothing but blue cloth, held up by the collars around their necks; the outline of their naked body’s clearly shown through the sheer material. Unlike the larger woman, their faces were covered, only their eyes showing, the skin around their eyes lined black.

Along the floor, running the length of each wall were meter wide channels. Each of them filled with crystal clear liquid. I nearly gasped in wonder when I realized that they were full of water. I’d never seen so much in my life and never so clean. The most water I’d ever seen was during the monsoon we’d had the previous year, when the flats would flood, the entire wasteland turning to mud. But this... this was different. If I leaned over it, I was sure I could see the bottom of the channel. How deep did it go?

“I’ll take them from here.” My head snapped up to stare at the large womans who’d spoken, whose voice was nothing like my mothers, whose tone was silvery and kind. This woman spoke with a flat, no-nonsense tone. I got the feeling that she was not somebody to be disobeyed.

“Yes, Matron.” I knew my assumption was correct when the two teeagers who’d guided us here, quickly bowed and left the room, closing the door softly behind them.

Uncomfortable, wary silence filled the room as we stared at the new women with trepidation, and they with uninterested flat gazes.

“Boy’s on this side, girls on that side.” The Matron ordered, pointing to opposite sides of the room. When no one immediately moved, her eyes narrowed into a glare. “Now.”

I clutched Nux’s hand more tightly in my own, unwilling to be separated from him, even if it was just across the room. When he turned and caught my eye, he gave me a small reassuring smile, though i could see the worry behind his eyes, and slowly pulled away, heading towards the other side of the room with all the other boys. There were nine boys total. Only three other girls on my side of the room.

I glanced around, shoulders tense, wondering what was going on. Why were we here? Why this room.

The large woman glanced around at us one last time, her intense gaze landing on each of us individually. I swallowed as her gaze landed on me, I could feel the weight of her stare. I wondered what it was she saw in each of us.

“Alright! All clothes off. Thrown them into the middle.” She barked. “When you’re undressed hop into the tubs, the Sisters here will help you get clean.” With that the four women behind her moved forwards, beginning to gently help some of us under.

Not knowing what to do but to follow along, I tugged off my dirty brown layered shirts before tugging off my pants and throwing them into a pile in the middle.

Soon we were all of us were naked in the room.

Being naked around an other didn’t bother me, nor any of the other kids. We had nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of at this point in time, our bodies nowhere near puberty.

The Sisters glided across the room, spreading out, guiding all of us into the tubs. While the two girls next to me cautiously stepped down into the tub, I was wary.

I’d never seen more water in one place in my life, and as I peeked over the ledge and into it’s depths, I caught a girl staring out of the water back out at me. My heart leapt in my throat, and she looked equally surprised to see me as I stumbled back and away from the water.

A gentle hand on my shoulder steadied me and I turned, catching sight of sheer blue material of one of the Sisters. I looked up, catching sight of the eyes peering down at me over top of her face veil. Her brow was furrowed in concern.

“What’s the matter, dear?” Her voice was pleasant, the lilt similar to that of my mother and I instantly found myself relaxing, my shoulders dropping from their tensed position.

I pointed at the water. “I saw a girl in the water.” I bit my lip.

She frowned down at me for a moment, looking puzzled as she glanced at the water before her eyes crinkled at the corners, and I knew she was smiling.

Patting me on the shoulder, she took a step towards the edge, kneeling gracefully down at the side of the tub. She patted the spot next to her, motioning me towards her. “Come.” Her voice was gentle, calm.

I hesitated briefly, glancing over at Nux, seeing him already sitting in the tub, smiling and splashing the water at another boy. He seemed okay with it, so I swallowed my fear, and shuffled over to stand beside her.

“Look in the water, child,” she said, running her fingers through the clear liquid.

Slowly, I crouched down beside her and leaned over the edge, peering in, and once again coming face to face with the other girl who back at me from the other side. This time she looked more curious than worried, her green eyes bright.

When the Sisters face appeared in the water next to the girl, I couldn’t figure out what was going on. “Hey, that’s you!”

Her eyes crinkled in amusement. “Indeed it is child. And that,” She pointed at the girl in the water. “Is you. That’s your reflection.” She explained to me.

That was me? I stared into my reflection, looking at my long ratty brown hair. My skinny face was covered in dirt which seemed ingrained in my skin. 

“Come, into the water with you,” the Sister said, nudging me, so I slowly took a step into the water, quickly realizing that the water only came to my hips. I was pleasantly surprised at the temperature, it was pleasant. 

I swished my hands back and forth, enjoying the feeling of the water running between my fingers. As I moved that water around me seemed to cloud, turning a murky brown as the years of dirt slowly drifted away from my body.

I shivered and let out a shocked laugh as the Sister poured water over my shoulders and again over my head. Soon she was scrubbing away with a cloth, trying to wipe away the grime from my skin. Ever so slowly, my skin went from dirty to tanned, and my long hair from ratty to smooth. Some of the knots in my hair had needed to be cut out, too deeply wound to be eased apart.

When she’d finished washing me, the Sister helped me out of the tub and I glanced at my brother who was in the process of being toweled off. When he caught my eye, he smiled, the dimples on his tanned cheeks more pronounced now that he wasn’t covered in dirt. His long hair had been trimmed short, only an inch away from his scalp.

Smiling back at him, I allowed the Sister to towel me off and contemplated everything that had happened since Mother had left us here.

I swallowed the bitter feeling that came with the memory. But realized that maybe she’d been right, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. I still had my brother, and we were being treated well, not to mention we were the cleanest we’d been since the day we’d been born.

Maybe...maybe we could live here and be happy.

The Sister handed me a dress to wear that was similar to their own, the material draped around my body, hanging low around my back from where it was clasped at my neck. While the Sisters wore blue, the girls all wore white. All the boy received dark grey pants. 

We all jumped when the door crashed open and a large man marched in. His skin was painted white like all the other men we’d seen, his head bald. Unlike all the others, his forehead was painted black, cutting off at the corners of his eyes and across the bridge of his nose. He was shirtless, dressed in nothing but dark pants, the skin of his well toned chest etched with strange symbols that reminded me of parts of cars.

His dark eyes glanced disinterested around the room before landing on the Matron, who I noticed had tensed up the moment the man had marched into the room.

“Imperator Gaius,” the Matron said in greeting with a nod.

“Matron,” he replied shortly in response. “I’m here for the boys.”

I frowned. For the boys? What did he mean by that?

“Yes, I figured you would be,” she said dryly in response, waving a hand towards the boys across from us. “They are ready to go now, if you would take them.”

My heartbeat spiked in my chest. Take them? Take them where?

Imperator Gaius stepped towards the boys, scowling down at them. “You’ll be coming with me.” With a snap of his fingers, moved towards the door. Not once did he look at the girls.

The first couple of boys hesitated before following him out, the next couple mirroring their movements.

Nux turned to me, eyes wide, looking panicked and indecisive as he met my gaze. He was soon the last boy standing in the room, the others all waiting out in the hallway.

Imperator Gaius stepped back into the room, marching towards Nux. “What are you doing? Let’s go.” He said reaching out and grabbing my brother’s arm and dragging him towards the door.

I took a step towards him. “Nux…”

My brother twisted his arm, trying to get away from the hand that was easily pulling him towards the open door. “No! Let me go!” He turned, reaching a hand out towards me. “Riley!”

I scrambled towards my brother, reaching a hand out towards him, trying to grab his own. But I never made contact, the Matrons arm circling tightly around my waist, pulling me up and away from Nux.

“No, no! Let me go!” I cried, squirming and fighting against the hold that was pulling me away from my brother. They couldn’t take him away from me!

“Let her go! Riley! Riley! Let me-” My brother panicked shouts were abruptly cut off as the door slammed shut behind them.

“NO! Nux! NUX!!” I screamed.


End file.
